Corporal Corporal is a military rank in use in some form by many militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. The word is derived from the medieval Italian phrase ("head of a body"). The rank is usually the lowest ranking non- ...

Jesse Nathaniel Funk (August 20, 1888 – March 21, 1933) was a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

soldier and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration, the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valo ...

, for his actions in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. He earned the medal while serving as a

stretcher bearer A stretcher-bearer is a person who carries a stretcher, generally with another person at its other end, especially in a war or emergency times when there is a very serious accident or a disaster. In case of military personnel, for example removi ...

during the

Meuse–Argonne offensive The Meuse–Argonne offensive (also known as the Meuse River–Argonne Forest offensive, the Battles of the Meuse–Argonne, and the Meuse–Argonne campaign) was a major part of the final Allied offensive of World War I that stretched along t ...

, when he and another soldier, Charles D. Barger, entered no man's land despite heavy fire and rescued two wounded officers.

Biography

Born in New Hampton, Missouri, Funk later moved to Calhan, Colorado, where he worked as a

ranch A ranch (from es, rancho/Mexican Spanish) is an area of land, including various structures, given primarily to ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle and sheep. It is a subtype of a farm. These terms are most ofte ...

er. He married and had one son before entering the Army in 1915. After training at Camp Funston in

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to th ...

, Funk was sent to Europe with the 354th Infantry Regiment, 89th Division. He saw action in the

Battle of Saint-Mihiel The Battle of Saint-Mihiel was a major World War I battle fought from 12–15 September 1918, involving the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) and 110,000 French troops under the command of General John J. Pershing of the United States against ...

and, by October 31, 1918, was a private first class serving as a stretcher bearer in the 354th Regiment's Company L. On that day, near Bois-de-Bantheville,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, Funk's division sent several patrols into no man's land to reconnoiter

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

positions in preparation for an advance as part of the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. Unusually, the patrols had been sent out during daylight, rather than waiting for the cover of darkness. Two patrols from Funk's regiment became pinned down by heavy rifle and machine gun fire. Second Lieutenant John M. Millis was seriously wounded in the legs and ordered his men to leave without him. One man managed to crawl to the safety of the Allied lines and brought news that Millis and another wounded officer were trapped in no man's land. Upon hearing this, Funk and another stretcher bearer, Private First Class Charles D. Barger, voluntarily ran through heavy machine gun fire with their stretcher and rescued Millis. They then returned to no man's land and rescued the other officer, First Lieutenant Ernest G. Rowell. For these actions, both Funk and Barger were awarded the Medal of Honor the next year. These were the only Medals of Honor received by Army medical personnel in World War I. Funk reached the rank of

corporal Corporal is a military rank in use in some form by many militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. The word is derived from the medieval Italian phrase ("head of a body"). The rank is usually the lowest ranking non- ...

before leaving the Army in 1920. He died at age 44 and was buried at Calhan Cemetery in Calhan, Colorado.

Medal of Honor Citation

Funk's official Medal of Honor citation reads:

Learning that 2 daylight patrols had been caught out in No Man's Land and were unable to return, Pfc. Funk and another stretcher bearer, upon their own initiative, made 2 trips 500 yards beyond our lines, under constant machinegun fire, and rescued 2 wounded officers.

Military awards

Funk's military decorations and awards include:''(more research needed)''

References

: {{DEFAULTSORT:Funk, Jesse N. 1888 births 1933 deaths People from El Paso County, Colorado People from Harrison County, Missouri United States Army non-commissioned officers United States Army personnel of World War I United States Army Medal of Honor recipients World War I recipients of the Medal of Honor Military personnel from Missouri Burials in Colorado

Biography

Medal of Honor Citation

Military awards

See also

References